Complaints & Claims Against the Police

If you believe that the police have behaved incorrectly or unfairly you may be able to take action against them.  There are different types of action available and these will depend on the circumstances of your case.

Complaints

Under the police complaints procedure you can complain about many more issues.  There are essentially two categories of complaints procedures:

• Informal (for less serious matters)
• Formal (for serious matters)

You cannot normally obtain compensation for a complaint.

Claims

If you believe that you have been seriously wronged and that the complaints procedure is insufficient you can bring a claim against the police.  You can only sue the police for certain ‘causes of action’ such as :

• Assault
• False Imprisonment
• Malicious Prosecution
• Trespass
• Trespass to Goods and Conversion   
• Negligence
• Human Rights Act

You can receive monetary compensation for these types of action if you are successful.

If you have experienced difficulties with the police we will be pleased to advise you as to the best course of action.  Please contact Kevin Wood on 0117 9299001 or email kwood@bobbetts.com